When you register your children for Free School Meals, the College receives a sum of money from the government for each child, called the Pupil Premium. In the financial year 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025, Pupil Premium funding is £1050 for each eligible secondary aged pupil. This money is used to provide a range of educational benefits for pupils across the school, which can include assistance with paying for extra-curricular activities and visits, and music lessons. Even if you do not wish your child to claim free lunches, by registering for them, you will allow the school to claim the associated Pupil Premium. No other benefits that you may be claiming are affected by this.
Claiming Free School Meals has never been easier; you simply need to complete an on-line application form provided by Cambridgeshire County Council. You do not need to provide any paper proof of benefit. The system will automatically check your child's entitlement to Free School Meals.
Apply online using this link: Free School Meals Application. or download the application form via the link on the left of this screen.
We can also help you to do this at school. Once approved, Cambridgeshire County Council will check that you continue to qualify for Free School Meals on a regular basis, using the Secure Electronic Checking System. There is no need to reapply at the end of the school year. If you haven’t already registered with us for Free School Meals and think you may be eligible, please use the link above. If you are already registered with your Cambridgeshire Primary school then that will automatically transfer over to us. If you are from an out-of-county Primary or a private school, you will need to register online as above. Once registered, this will stay in place as long as your children attend Cambourne Village College.
Your children are entitled to Free School Meals if you receive any of the following benefits:
Pupils who receive free school meals have £2.50 placed in their biometric account daily every school day. This can be spent at breaktime as well as lunchtime. Any purchases made over the FSM allowance, will require funds to be added to the account by the parents and carers. At the end of the day, any remaining money is removed from the account. The children cannot be identified as receiving free school meals when they use their account; the process is completely private.
Pupil Premium Grant – Free School Meals/Ever 6/Pupil Premium Plus (was LAC/AFC) Service Child.
Pupil Premium Grant is a sum of money given to schools each year by the Government to improve the attainment of disadvantaged children. This is based on research showing that children from low income families perform less well at school than their peers. The pupil premium is intended to directly benefit the children who are eligible, helping to diminish the difference between them and their peers.
Students receive Pupil Premium if they are in receipt of Free School Meals or have qualified for free school meals at any point in the past six years, classed as Ever 6. The College also receive an enhanced premium for Looked After Children (those who have been in care or adopted) this is now known as Pupil Premium Plus. The Service Premium is a smaller fund available to assist the school to provide pastoral care to the children of armed forces personnel.
The Pupil Premium is part of the funding that schools receive, to improve educational outcomes for students. It should be used to benefit those students who receive Free School Meals, or have done so over the previous six years, are Looked After or Care-Experienced, or have a parent or carer in the Armed Forces, but can also be used to benefit students more widely.
To read in detail about how we use our funding, please see the strategy statement here. In summary, we use these funds to overcome barriers to positive educational outcomes. The identified barriers that we are seeking to overcome include: lower reading ages; lower starting points / Key Stage 2 outcomes; vulnerability factors (including risk of being NEET post-16); and lower attendance rates. Some of the ways we try to overcome these barriers include: through interventions; through monitoring and oversight; through pastoral and administrative support; through providing a wide range of appropriate courses.
A portion of this funding can sometimes be made available to be used towards supporting families with funding towards purchases such as extra-curricular events. However, it is not the case that each child or family has their own discrete allocation, and funding is awarded in line with legislation and guidance, school priorities, and availability.
For funding-related queries, please contact: CAM-Funding@cambournevc.org
For Pupil Premium–specific enquiries, please contact: CAMPupilPremium@cambournevc.org
Cambourne Village College
Sheepfold Lane, Cambourne
Cambridge CB23 6FR
Tel: 01954 284000
Email: thecollege@cambournevc.org
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Cambourne Village College is an academy of The Cam Academy Trust, a company limited by guarantee and registered in England and Wales with company number 0749 1945.
The registered office is The CAM Academy Trust, Sheepfold Lane, Cambourne, Cambridge CB23 6FR
